Rescue Workers Erect Memorial To Washington Mudslide Victims

A memorial erected by rescue workers near the site of the March 22 mudslide that killed at least 39 people.

Martin Kaste
/ NPR

Originally published on April 18, 2014 10:35 pm

Rescue workers still searching for bodies from the March 22 landslide that killed at least 39 people near the town of Oso, Washington, erected a simple, but moving memorial to the victims of the tragedy. Four people are still listed as missing.

NPR's Martin Kaste, who took the photo, says the rescue effort is in a "transition phase" as crews from other states are leaving and being replaced by fresh searchers.

He says some of the departing recovery workers put the memorial up on a massive tree that stood up to the flow even as others were knocked down.

"It's a symbol of the community's resilience," he says.

Kaste says the fresh workers are searching through new areas for the final four missing people.